As he spoke, the group of Cloud Village ninja had already forced their way into Kushina Uzumaki's home.
Seiki frowned. "Damn it, we're too late!"
"Haha, don't worry about it," Asuma said with a grin, clearly enjoying the chaos. "Those Cloud ninja are in for a world of pain. From what old man told me, that older sister's strength is absolutely incredible…"
Before he could finish his sentence, several black-clothed ninja dragged out a red-haired girl in bindings.
Asuma blinked. "What in the—?"
Seeing Seiki looking suspicious, Asuma quickly explained, "I get it now! This must be some kind of disguise by that red-haired one. She's probably trying to follow this thread and expose all the spies at once."
But Seiki shook his head slightly. If he wasn't mistaken, most of Kushina Uzumaki's power should currently be suppressed by the Nine-Tails.
After all, Mito Uzumaki was already very old when she transferred the seal. Although the Third and others were strong, they still couldn't match the Uzumaki clan's mastery of sealing techniques.
Most importantly, the tailed beast sealed within Kushina Uzumaki was the full Nine-Tails itself. That meant the strength of her seal wasn't even as solid as Naruto's would be in the future.
To prevent the Nine-Tails from breaking free, Kushina couldn't dare use chakra, which meant she couldn't even resist being captured by these low-level ninja.
One could say those Cloud ninja were unknowingly walking right up to the edge of death.
"This world always lets good people get pushed around," Seiki thought with a sigh. Beside him, Asuma finally realized something was off too.
That 'big sis' had stumbled several times along the way, only to be roughly yanked forward by the Cloud ninja holding her rope leash, dragging her across the ground.
Even if she was acting, did she really need to put on such an exaggerated show?
"Agh, Seiki, I think that 'big sis' might actually be captured! We have to go save her now!"
"Wait, don't act recklessly. Don't forget—they've got a hostage!"
At that thought, Asuma panicked. "Then what do we do? Damn it! I shouldn't have tested them like this. We should've just attacked straight away! It's not like they'd execute me over it anyway!"
"There's no need to blame yourself. In international cases like this, higher-ups won't act without solid evidence."
"But by the time we go back for backup, it'll already be too late!"
Seiki remained calm and steady. "Don't worry, there's still another way."
When he heard that, Asuma calmed down too. "Alright then, Seiki, tell me—what's the plan?"
Seiki narrowed his eyes slightly. "We keep following them first. Wait until they reach Konoha's border, right when success is nearly within their grasp—that's when they'll let their guard down the most. Then—we strike and rescue the captured person before they even realize what's happening!"
Asuma couldn't help but challenge him. "What if they *don't* let their guard down?"
Seiki sighed helplessly. "Then I'll try using a genjutsu attack on their minds. I'm confident in my genjutsu skills, but they're ninja after all—I can't guarantee it'll work."
"You've gotta make it work!" Asuma muttered. Then he added gloomily, "And here I am not returning home so late… Why doesn't that old perv just locate me already?"
"Damn it, he must be trying to peek at someone else while I'm away!"
Unlike Asuma, who was visibly anxious, Seiki's expression remained completely unchanged throughout—not even a flicker in his eyes. Everything happening now was exactly as he had predicted, including the other protagonist who hadn't appeared yet in this drama.
"Like points are like points—whether you earn them with one person or two makes no difference. So please don't disappoint me, Minato Namikaze-senpai!"
Compared to Minato Namikaze, Seiki actually valued Kushina Uzumaki's sealing techniques more. Still, Minato had the potential to become a really valuable pawn.
So naturally, Seiki wasn't about to let such a "double affection grind" slip away.
"If Minato Namikaze takes action, then I won't have to waste extra effort and can just find the right timing to tag along and gain experience. But what if… he doesn't arrive on time like he originally should?"
Seiki didn't believe fate's stream would remain as still as stagnant water without even the slightest ripple. Putting too much faith in what he already knew about the future would just leave him stuck in a weak position.
Hence, even when participating in such a known "future," he still made thorough preparations. Before deliberately approaching Asuma, he already carefully examined the enemy's intentions and abilities.
"After all, I've never claimed that an ordinary chunin is beyond my capabilities. As a genius, having a last-minute breakthrough in battle is perfectly reasonable, don't you think?"
...
Under the cover of night, the two closely followed behind the Cloud Village ninja.
Picking up a soft strand of red hair from the ground, Asuma wore a complex expression: "Seiki, are these people really ninjas?"
That big sister left a trail of hair all over the place—incredibly vivid crimson strands that shone like flames even in darkness—yet none of those ninjas noticed even a single strand.
He had initially feared they were being lured out on purpose by the Cloud Village ninja, but now it seemed like that group might actually just be weak!
Remaining silent, Seiki finally understood why the Cloud always loved stirring up trouble yet gained little—it turned out they were bad at this but couldn't help themselves!
Upon realizing this truth, Asuma asked eagerly, "Seiki, should we move closer?"
Just as Seiki was about to answer, a sudden chakra fluctuation from afar made him lose focus for a moment.
It was the chakra residue he had left on Kushina Uzumaki's strands of hair.
Although he wasn't a specialist sensor ninja, in this kind of situation, if someone picked up those fallen strands, he could still sense the chakra's fluctuation.
"Minato Namikaze? Looks like we need to act quickly. Otherwise, once he arrives, there won't be anything left for me to do here!"
Thinking thus, Seiki no longer hesitated. "Of course we should get closer—and we should launch a surprise attack!"
Asuma's eyes widened. "But didn't you say earlier we should wait until they approached Konoha's border?"
Seiki's expression turned serious as he craftily said, "Earlier, I overlooked an important detail. These Cloud Village ninjas likely arranged backup forces outside the chakra barrier in advance. If a battle breaks out at the border, the Cloud Village ninjas outside the barrier might notice it. Once they recklessly charge inside, even if the village elders receive the news, it might already be too late."
"Therefore, we should choose a spot near the border, but one where the battle commotion won't easily be noticed by those outside the barrier."
"I understand," Asuma nodded in realization and praised, "You really think things through carefully, Seiki."
"Alright then, watch my hand seals closely. The moment I complete the technique, you immediately rescue that older sister."
"Got it!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>